Jeanette Winterson (born 27 August 1959) is an English author. Her first book, '' Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'', was a semi-autobiographical novel about a lesbian growing up in an English

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

community. Other novels explore gender polarities and sexual identity and later ones the relations between humans and technology. She broadcasts and teaches creative writing. She has won a

Whitbread Prize The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in United Kingdom, UK and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first ...

for a First Novel, a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Award for Best Drama, the

John Llewellyn Rhys Prize The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize was a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or drama) by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kin ...

, the E. M. Forster Award and the

St. Louis Literary Award The St. Louis Literary Award has been presented yearly since 1967 to a distinguished figure in literature. It is sponsored by the Saint Louis University Library Associates. Winners Past Recipients of the Award: *2025 Colson Whitehead *2024 J ...

, and the

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

twice. She has received an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) and a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) for services to literature, and is a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

. Her novels have been translated to almost 20 languages.

Early life and education

Winterson was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and adopted by Constance and John William Winterson on 21 January 1960. She grew up in

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, and was raised in the Elim Pentecostal Church. She was raised to become a

Christian missionary, and she began evangelising and writing sermons at the age of six. By the age of 16, Winterson had come out as a

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

and left home. Soon after, she attended Accrington and Rossendale College. From 1978 to 1981, she supported herself doing odd jobs while reading English at St. Catherine's College,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Career

After she moved to London, she took assorted theatre work, including at the Roundhouse, and wrote her debut novel, '' Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'', a semi-autobiographical story about a sensitive teenage girl rebelling against convention. One job Winterson applied for was as an editorial assistant at

Pandora Press Pandora Press is a UK feminist publishing imprint that was founded in 1983 by Philippa Brewster at Routledge and Kegan Paul, with Dale Spender as editor-at-large. It was the first imprint to produce a list devoted primarily to feminist non-fiction. ...

, a feminist imprint newly founded in 1983 by Philippa Brewster, and in 1985 Brewster published ''Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'', which won the

for a First Novel. Winterson adapted it for television in 1990. Her novel '' The Passion'' was set in Napoleonic Europe. Winterson's subsequent novels explore the boundaries of physicality and the imagination, gender polarities, and sexual identities, and have won several literary awards. Her stage adaptation of ''The PowerBook'' in 2002 opened at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

, London. She also bought a derelict

terraced house A terrace, terraced house ( UK), or townhouse ( US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses sharing side walls. In the United States and Canada these are sometimes known as row ...

Spitalfields Spitalfields () is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in East London and situated in the East End of London, East End. Spitalfields is formed around Commercial Street, London, Commercial Stre ...

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

, which she refurbished into an occasional flat and a ground-floor shop, Verde's, to sell

organic food Organic food, also known as ecological or biological food, refers to foods and beverages produced using methods that comply with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resou ...

. In January 2017, she discussed closing the shop when a spike in rateable value, and so business rates, threatened to make the business untenable. In 2009, Winterson donated the short story "Dog Days" to Oxfam's Ox-Tales project, covering four collections of UK stories by 38 authors. Her story appeared in the ''Fire'' collection. She also supported the relaunch of the

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. Artistic Directors * Brian McDermott ...

in London's Shepherd's Bush. She wrote and performed work for the '' Sixty Six Books'' project, based on a chapter of the

King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...

, along with other novelists and poets including Paul Muldoon,

Carol Ann Duffy Dame Carol Ann Duffy (born 23 December 1955) is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is a professor of contemporary poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Poet Laureate in May 2009, and her term expired in 2019. She wa ...

Anne Michaels Anne Michaels (born 15 April 1958) is a Canadian poet and novelist whose work has been translated and published in over 45 countries. Her books have garnered dozens of international awards including the Orange Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, ...

and

Catherine Tate Catherine Tate (born Catherine Jane Ford, 5 December 1969) is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC Two, BBC sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007), as well as bein ...

. Winterson's 2012 novella ''The Daylight Gate'', based on the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials, appeared on their 400th anniversary. Its main character, Alice Nutter, is based on the real-life woman of the same name. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

s Sarah Hall describes the work:

"the narrative voice is irrefutable; this is old-fashioned storytelling, with a sermonic tone that commands and terrifies. It's also like courtroom reportage, sworn witness testimony. The sentences are short, truthful – and dreadful.... Absolutism is Winterson's forte, and it's the perfect mode to verify supernatural events when they occur. You're not asked to believe in magic. Magic exists. A severed head talks. A man is transmogrified into a hare. The story is stretched as tight as a rack, so the reader's disbelief is ruptured rather than suspended. And if doubt remains, the text's sensuality persuades."

In 2012, Winterson succeeded

Colm Tóibín Colm Tóibín ( , ; born 30 May 1955) is an Irish novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist, critic, playwright and poet. His first novel, ''The South (novel), The South'', was published in 1990. ''The Blackwater Lightship'' was short ...

as Professor of Creative Writing at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

. Her 2019 novel, ''Frankissstein: A Love Story'', was longlisted for the Booker Prize. In October 2023,

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...

published ''Night Side of the River.'' Suzi Feay, writing for ''

Literary Review ''Literary Review'' is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at the University of Edinburgh. Its offices are on Lexington Street in Soho. The magazine was edited for fourteen years b ...

'', said: "In these enjoyable tales Winterson has ably served the genre, while also sketching some unsettling future directions the ghost story might take".

Awards and recognition

*1985:

for a First Novel for ''Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'' *1987:

for ''The Passion'' *1989: E. M. Forster Award for ''Sexing the Cherry'' *1992:

Award for Best Drama for ''Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'' TV serial *1994: Winner, Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, for ''Written on the Body'' *2006:

(OBE) in the 2006 New Year Honours, for services to literature *2013: Winner, Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir or Biography, for ''Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?'' *2014:

*2016: Chosen as one of BBC's 100 Women. *2016: Elected

*2018: She presented the 42nd Richard Dimbleby Lecture in celebration of 100 years of women's suffrage in the UK *2018:

(CBE) in the

2018 Birthday Honours The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by ci ...

, for services to literature *2019: Longlisted for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

for ''Frankissstein: A Love Story''

Personal life

Winterson came out as a

at the age of 16. Her 1987 novel ''The Passion'' was inspired by her relationship with Pat Kavanagh, her

literary agent A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwr ...

. From 1990 to 2002, Winterson had a relationship with

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

radio broadcaster and academic Peggy Reynolds. After that ended, Winterson became involved with theatre director

Deborah Warner Deborah Warner (born 12 May 1959) is a British director of theatre and opera, known for her interpretations of the works of Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht, Benjamin Britten, and Henrik Ibsen, and for her collaborations with Irish actress Fiona ...

. In 2015, she married psychotherapist Susie Orbach, author of ''Fat is a Feminist Issue''. The couple separated in 2019.

Bibliography

*'' Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'' (1985) *''Boating for Beginners'' (1985) *''Fit for the Future: The Guide for Women Who Want to Live Well'' (1986) *'' The Passion'' (1987) *'' Sexing the Cherry'' (1989) *''Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit: the script'' (1990) *''Written on the Body'' (1992) *''Art & Lies: A Piece for Three Voices and a Bawd'' (1994) *''Great Moments in Aviation: the script'' (1995) *''Art Objects: Essays in Ecstasy and Effrontery'' (1995) - essays *'' Gut Symmetries'' (1997) *'' The World and Other Places'' (1998) - short stories *''The Dreaming House'' (1998) *''The Powerbook'' (2000) *''The King of Capri'' (2003) - children's literature *'' Lighthousekeeping'' (2004) *''Weight'' (2005) *''Tanglewreck'' (2006) - children's literature *'' The Stone Gods'' (2007) *''The Battle of the Sun'' (2009) *'' Ingenious'' (2009) *''The Lion, The Unicorn and Me: The Donkey's Christmas Story'' (2009) *''Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?'' (2011) - memoir *''The Daylight Gate'' (2012) *''The Gap of Time'' (2015) *''Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days'' (2016) *''Eight Ghosts: The English Heritage Book of New Ghost Stories '' (2017) *''Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere'' (2018) *'' Frankissstein: A Love Story'' (2019) *''12 Bytes: How We Got Here. Where We Might Go Next'' (2021) *''Night Side of the River: Ghost Stories'' (2023)

References

External links

*
Jeanette Winterson author page
by

Guardian Unlimited ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

*
''Guardian'' podcast interview (2007)''Rain Taxi'' interview (2005)2012 radio interview
(30 minutes) at The Bat Segundo Show * {{DEFAULTSORT:Winterson, Jeanette 20th-century English short story writers 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English novelists 21st-century English women writers 21st-century English short story writers 20th-century English LGBTQ people 21st-century English LGBTQ people 20th-century English essayists 21st-century English memoirists 20th-century English screenwriters Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford English women short story writers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Costa Book Award winners English adoptees English short story writers English women non-fiction writers English women novelists John Llewellyn Rhys Prize winners Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction winners English lesbian writers English LGBTQ novelists Lesbian memoirists Living people 1959 births Magic realism writers People from Accrington English women memoirists Writers from Manchester Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature LGBTQ Pentecostals English Pentecostals Academics of the University of Manchester